Popular North Norfolk head teacher retires

‘Mother Goose’ to focus on her English country garden…

The head teacher of one of Norfolk’s most successful primary schools is to retire after 12 years hard graft. Tina Casburn has spent her working life in schools in Norwich and Norfolk and has been a very popular head at Aldborough Primary School, near Aylsham.

Under her stewardship the school has grown and has been extensively rebuilt. Only this year the Rt Hon Nick Gibb MP, minister of state for school standards, wrote to Mrs Casburn to praise Aldborough’s standards of reading, which put it in the top 1% of schools nationally.

A special event was held on July 20th to commemorate her retirement. Deputy head Jill Morgan reminded Tina that when she arrived at the school she described herself as Mother Goose looking after her goslings. She then unveiled the special present that friends, staff, parents, children and governors had bought her – a metal sculpture of a Mother Goose, created by local blacksmith Baron Tremain.

Clearly moved by the tributes paid to her – even those that mentioned the tidiness of her office and her knack of losing her glasses – Mrs Casburn described the day as “Absolutely wonderful,” adding that she had been very, very lucky to have worked at Aldborough.

The children all did special songs and vignettes for her, while the staff staged a one-off play that saw Mrs Casburn (enthusiastically played by Class 4 teacher Gavin Barnard) and her friend, Educational Principles, fight off the villains ranged against them, in the form of Ofsted, BT Openreach and Mr Gove.

“There have been a couple of downs as well as many, many ups over the 12 years,” said Mrs Casburn, “through it all one thing has shone through: Aldborough is an exceptional school, thanks to the dedicated staff, the support of our fantastic friends, parents and governors and, of course, the wonderful children.”

David Doak is chair of governors at Aldborough School. “Tina has been a passionate and dedicated head teacher who has inspired the staff and her pupils,” he said. “We all wish her the very best for the future. She leaves a very happy, successful school – which our new head, Alison Read, is very much looking forward to leading.”